"Miracles are All Around Us"

“On the outside we looked like we were holding it together, but in reality we were scared, lost and feeling hopeless.” This sentiment is what led Nikki Spencer to Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services (PCHAS).

At the time, Nikki and her husband, Chris, were fostering a four-year-old girl and her two-year-old brother. Both children had been through so much trauma that they struggled with attachment and aggression. The girl, for example, had night terrors and physically fought any comfort extended by the couple.

Nikki and Chris needed a miracle. After hearing about the Child & Family program from a friend, the sought help from a specialist. “I felt seen, valued and never judged,” Nikki says. Together they developed more effective parenting to help the children feel safe. As they learned to respond constructively to behaviors exhibited by the children, Nikki and Chris started building the foundation of their family.

The children also underwent therapy. “PCHAS provided wrap-around support services that brought our family back to life,” Nikki adds. “I’m forever grateful they came alongside us.”

Equipped with the tools to meet the children’s needs, the Spencers adopted the children in 2019. The following year, the children’s biological sister was born prematurely and drug-positive. CPS asked Nikki and Chris to foster her. “I was torn about whether we could handle the responsibility,” admits Nikki. “We called our Child & Family Specialist and, once again, we were met with support and encouragement. We ended up bringing the baby home. Now we’ve adopted her as well.”

Nikki shares a photo of her son gently holding his baby sister. “This is a miracle,” she said. “That these three siblings get to live together is a miracle. My prayer is that my children can someday be a part of something on this earth that reaches out to embrace hurting families and hold them tightly with God’s love and support. Because of PCHAS, they are getting to grow up in a family. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you do.”

The Child & Family Program keeps families together in more than a dozen cities in three states. Many participants face poverty, illness or other crises. 

To learn more about foster care and adoption in Texas, visit this page.